


Another Love

by Get_Hitched



Category: Ready Player One (2018), Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, Disturbing Themes, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Frottage, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Love Confessions, M/M, Men Crying, Suggestive Themes, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:15:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25310722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Get_Hitched/pseuds/Get_Hitched
Summary: "You were his rosebud."
Relationships: Anorak | James Halliday/Great and Powerful Og | Ogden Morrow
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I need these two to have a happy ending. So i made my own. Its not really happy during the middle but i made it happy at the end. Nobody writes for them so i changed that. This first chapter is just an introduction and i was listening to "no time to die" by Billie Eilish.

"You were his rosebud."

That hurt.

A deep ache settled in his chest. He was his rosebud. Ogden grimaced, he knew. He knew, and he still walked out, he gave up on James. His James.

Wade watched his expression carefully, guarding his own, he knew that their relationship was complicated, they were friends but they were always on opposite sides of the social spectrum. Ogden was outgoing and ambitious and Halliday was withdrawn and quiet. Most people with this description fell apart after a while, but Ogden and Halliday stayed together till the end. The same goal in their mind.

folie à deux.

An idea came to mind. Wade thought over it thoroughly. It may not work, Halliday was gone. 

They had to try.


	2. Revelations.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ogden is gave a second chance at seeing Halliday again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to "i found" by amber run.

"Come with me."

Ogden Morrow glanced at Wade, who made sure to keep his face serious, he wouldn't want to give away any of the worry he felt. This may not work. He knows that. He also knows, however, that he has to take a chance, Ogden was an old, sad man. Deprived of his only friend. All he wanted was him back. Wade knew the feeling, he felt the same thing when Samantha gave herself up to IOI. A crushing weight that rippled over his chest like a stone plunged underwater by the tide.  
"I couldn't. Theres no point now, after all. You have the egg, control over the Oasis. Everything you ever wanted, you have."  
"But you don't."  
Ogden locked eyes with him again. Confusion visible in the cold blues.  
"You want to see him again. Don't you? Halliday, i mean."  
The older man gazed at the ground intently. Morrow knew that Halliday was dead, but the thought of seeing him again filled him with longing.  
"Yes. I do. However, we both know he's dead and gone. That is an AI inside Oasis. Not him."  
Wade smiled so wide that the other man felt slightly frightened.  
"It's not an AI," Ogden gasped, confusion, longing and fear clashing inside him for dominance. He waited for the younger man to continue. "Halliday. He is in there. He programmed his subconscious into Oasis. He is there. You can see him again."  
Wade was frantic now, smiling so wide his jaw hurt, and Ogden, the poor man, was in shock. 

Wade stopped waiting for an answer and grabbed the older man by the arm, pulling him towards the van where they had Oasis Haptics set up. Full body. Ignoring the peoples protests behind him, including the confusion of his clan, he closed and locked the vans doors behind them. Giving them all the privacy they needed for this experiment. Ogden went to grab a visor, but Wade stopped him, shaking his head, still smiling widely. He pointed over to the full body suit and said,  
"Put this on." 

Ogdens hands shook as he suited up. What they said in the advertisements was right. These things really were one size fits all. Once he was suited up wade got into his own haptic suit and smiled over at him. Placing his visor on his face and logging on.

Ogdens heart was hammering in his chest. He was going to see him again. His best friend. His only friend. The man who he had called family since he was a child. Who had called him family aswell. Who he had grown up beside. Became famous with. Smiled with. Laughed with. Got drunk with. Sat with late at night. Programmed their first game with. Had arguments with. Cried with. 

Had his first kiss with...

He had a chance to once again see the only person he ever truly loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short and isnt too good up to now but things are gonna get better when we see Halliday


	3. Missing you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback scene between Halliday and Ogden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer.

Logging on, Wade first realised that, instead of looking at the torn down ruins of a castle that got destroyed in the final battle. He was back in the square. Despite being leveled all the way down and back to square one, there was already a handfull of players teleporting to different games.  
Being the owner of Oasis has a few perks. One, he soon realised, was that he could become invisible. Weaving in and out of the sparce crowds with nobody stopping him or congratulating him. Also, in the corner of his inventory was a button. Pressing said button, he was insantly teleported back to Hallidays Bedroom, so that was a plus.

Pushing through the crowds was easy with the invisibility on. He wasn't there. A ghost in the system. Just like Halliday, and when he finally got to the 'library' of sorts. Ogden was already waiting for him. His metal skin still in place and a carefully neutral expression on his face.  
"I don't know if this will work, but im gonna try and pull you with me through the teleportation. It may be a bit disorienting. Lets just hope it works."

Grabbing Ogdens robotic arm, he pressed the button that would teleport him ( and hopefully Ogden.) straight to Hallidays room. His vison flashed white, and he could only assume/hope that the same thing was happening to Ogden.  
Landing was also a painful process, during which Oasis decided to be a dick and teleport him onto a pile of books, which sent them, and him tumbling to the ground in a flurry of loose papers and ink.  
"God. I hope none of that was important."  
"All of it."  
His heart jumped. Ogden was there. Knelt beside him and rifling through the pages with obvious adoration. Oblivious to the level stare Wade was sending his way.  
"Look," he shoved a page under his nose and Wades eyes crossed as he plucked it from his grip. " its the original plans for Oasis. That's my handwriting in the corner. He trusted me so much he let me change his notes." Ogden let out a light chuckle. Though it sounded strange through his computer generated voice.  
"Recon you should change. Your avatar, i mean. If Halliday is around here, then 1) he won't recognise you as that, and 2) we have to find a way to get to him. Which, in all honesty, should have been number one." Wade advised him, standing up and brushing clouds of long left dust from his jeans. When he looked up again, Ogden stared back at him. Though, it wasn't the now Ogden. This version of him was young and colourful. Vibrant blond hair and blue eyes. They seemed to shine as he looked around the room. Locking onto different aspects of Hallidays childhood, and by extension, his own.

Wade recognised this version of him. The suit, the colour scheme, all of it. This was the version of Ogden that stood up and walked out of the room while talking to Halliday. So long ago. This was the version that was talking to Halliday when Wade figured out where the first key was.

Shaking his head, clearing his mind. Those where the first things Ogden did when he changed his avatar. The suit, the hair, all of it. It all brought back bad memories, however, this was the only other skin he had. Designed when he first logged in all those years ago. He couldn't believe he was back here. Hallidays childhood home. His room. This also brought back memorys he didn't care for, though, once again, they were simply unavoidable:

Him and Halliday were in his room. Doing the only thing they would ever really do at that point. When, of course, they weren't planning the Oasis. Which was, of course, play video games; but Ogden was bored, they had been going through Jims huge collection of video games all night, and his fingers were beginning to cramp up from pushing the joystick left and right and up and down repeatedly.  
He hadn't been paying attention, the game over screen flashed, and Halliday whooped in joy.  
"Beat you again. You should practice more."  
He gloated, smiling and laughing all the while. And Ogden found himself being caught up in Jims happiness, gazing at him with adoration. At this point he had only just realised that he liked boys as well as girls. Kira was adorable, don't get him wrong. Jim, however, was his best friend. Had stuck by him through thick and thin. Jim, with his bright smile and crooked teeth and squinting eyes behind his tinted glasses. Jim, with his fumbling words and stutter, with his lisp; and most importantly, that hair. Ogden wanted to run fingers through the dark hair that crowned that smiling face in a halo of curls and reached to his shoulders.

He wanted to tangle his fingers in the strands.

He wanted to tug on it and watch it straighten.

He wanted to watch Hallidays face as he did so.

Wanted to watch him moan silently.

Arch his back into the tug.

Whimper.

Beg.

That was enough of that.  
Ogden jumped when Jim snapped his fingers infront of his face. Looking flushed.  
"You were staring."  
Ogden gasped silently,  
"Sorry. Um, want to watch a movie instead?"  
Halliday glanced at the clock over his shoulder. He stood up and stretched his back and legs, they cracked horrendously and he moaned in relief, pushing Ogdens mind into dangerous territory again, he shook it off and stood aswell, trying to stop his eyes straying to that stray patch of hair trailing down Hallidays navel, traveling past his navel, before it was covered again as said man relaxed back into his usual slouch.  
Ogden gulped, Halliday leveled his dark gaze to him and smiled warmly, before replying:  
"You should really get going. It's almost midnight, and besides, we're planning tomorrow, we can watch a movie after that if you want. How about Ghostbusters?"  
He nodded, and Halliday smiled again, brighter this time, and then Ogden couldn't hold it anymore.

Pressing forward, Ogden grabbed Hallidays arms in his hands and leaned forward, capturing the taller mans lips in his own. Halliday froze, eyes going wide beneath off balance glasses. Thinking back on it now, Ogden supposed that the way his mouth dropped open may have been shock, and not reciprocation, but he never noticed at the time because his lips were so warm, his mouth even warmer, Ogden pressed forward more, and backed Halliday against his wall, knocking over papers and books and video games as they went.

Ogden will never forget the noises Halliday made.

Will never forget how his toungue felt, pressing into his own. 

Will never forget the whimpers as he did what he had been wanting to do all night. Tangling his hands in the curly hair and pulling it back.

Will never forget the submissive gesture of baring his throat to him.

Will never forget that he pushed him away.

Will never forget how tears streamed down his cheek and he yelled at Ogden. 

Will never forget the heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooo. Okay. Okay. I promise Halliday will be in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmm feelings

"-ROW! MR. MORROW!" 

Ogden jolted. Wade was staring at him, confused no doubt, about his increasingly requent moments of disorientation.   
"Yes. Yes. Sorry about that. Just, um, i haven't been here in so long. Memorys, you know?" Ogden offered, and Wade nodded his understanding, before moving around him and towards the door. Placing a single hand on the doorknob, he sighed and straightened up, glancing at Ogden once more, before finally twisting the knob and opening the door.

The hallway was dark and quiet, no light came from underneath the other doors that seemed to go on into and endless tunnel. It was almost pitch black, though it was almost as though it was giving off its own light. The carpet held years of dust, and as Wade poked his head out and called,   
"Halliday?"  
The single word seemed to echo on and on. Bouncing off peeling walls and crumbling ceilings. They waited for a short while, waiting to hear that familiar voice. 

Nothing happened.

Nobody answered.

Nobody appeared.

Halliday was not there anymore.

Ogden felt his heart crumble. His brain short circuit. His lungs collapse and he felt heavy. A dread, a sadness, an all encompassing feeling of pure depression settled on him like a weighted blanket, and he dropped to his knees. Wade turned at the thump and closed the door behind him. He kneeled beside Ogden, who was hunched over, his head in his hands. Not crying, no. Just....lost.

"Y-You mess up already, did you?"

That stutter and high lilt of a voice was too unique to be anyone elses. Ogdens head snapped up, as did Wades and everyone in the room froze.   
Ogden was in shock, he thought that Halliday was gone forever.   
Halliday was surprised to see his former friend, the way he used to look.  
Wade, in general, was just confused.  
"U-H im gonnna goooo. Yeah. Bye."   
And without further preamble, Wade logged off and entered,once again, into the real world. Sighing, he took off the gloves and unclipped himself from the rig, then he unlocked the door and stepped out, locking it again behind him. The crowd cheering almost drowned out the sobs from inside the van, and for that, Wade was grateful. 

Halliday was just staring at him. Why was he just staring at him? Ogden wiped his eyes, blinked, stood up, and cleared his throat to speak:  
"Jim?"  
The sound of his name seemed to snap him out of his revere, and he jumped.  
"Morrow. I-Im so sorry. For everything. Everything i said and did. E-especially for making you sign over everything."  
He was looking at the ground now, and for the first time since he popped from nowhere, Ogden actually looked at him. He had designed his own avatar to be taller than Halliday, as it was something he was always envious of in the real world. He was more gaunt than usual, he looked tired and pale and sickly all at once. His hair, was what caught Ogden off guard however; the once dark strands of curly, whispy hair, where now white as snow. He looked dead. Ogden mentally slapped himself, of course he looked dead, you idiot, he was dead!  
He realised he had been daydreaming when he snapped back to see Hallidays piercing gaze locked onto him, he was fiddling with the frayed edges of his denim jacket. Despite it being his bedroom, he looked lost and out of place, like a kid seperated from its parents at the grocery store.

He hadn't even realised he had been moving forward, until he was pressed against Jim, arms wrapped around his sides and face buried in his neck. The full body suit allowed him to feel the heat against him, he headset allowed him to hear the gasp that left Hallidays lips. He felt spidery hands press themselves into his back. He felt everything.

He felt alive.


End file.
